familypediawikiaorg-20200214-history
William Faubion (1783-1839)
}} Dyerman, Wilma, "The French Broad", Holt, Rhinehart and Wilson, page 17: In the early 1800's William built a flatboat rigged with a paddle wheel on the stern. He took along a blind horse to help pull the boat along when the boat was in shallow water or other difficulty. Provisioned with flour, bacon, dried fruit, feathers and farm goods and with some crew members, William made his way down the French Broad River to the Tennessee River, up the Tennessee River to the Ohio River and from there to the Mississippi River and down river to New Orleans. In New Orleans, William and his crew sold the boat as well as the goods and made their way home by land. William Faubion was born in Fauquier County, Virginia, Januray 16, 1783; died in Cocke County, Tennessee, September 26, 1839, and was buried in the small "burying ground" on his farm. He married in Cocke County, about the year 1802 (he was said to be nineteen), Rosannah Perthenia Ayres who we believe was born in South Carolina. She died in Cocke County, Tennessee, June 3,1851, and is buried alongside William in the family burying ground. William was a blacksmith, wagon maker and millright as was his father. He was eleven years of age when his parents moved the family across the mountains into the territory now known as East Tennessee. Like his brothers, he grew up in the blacksmith shop learning the ancient ironwork craft from his father. Family legend reveals that he was enterprising, energetic, and ambitious. he was married at the age of nineteen with his father's consent, after being reminded that his services still belonged to his father until he reached the age of majority two years hence. From Pangle comes the story of his "Unique Wedding" as written by her brother James Henry Faubion, quoted here in part; About the year eighteen hundred, as well as can be determined now, the United States Government by a treaty with the Cherokee and Choctaw Indians, bought a land reservation which had been set apart to these tribes in Alabama and Georgia, and opened these lands to white settlers at a nominal price, there was a general hegira of the people of the older states east, to what was popularly known as the 'purchase.' Every passing day brought people migrating to the 'purchase' to obtain new homes. One quiet afternoon in the fall of the year, just as the sun was beginning to make the shadows long, and was sinking behind the blue Smoky range of mountains, and Old Neddies' mountain which is only a short distance from the old Faubion home, was assuming the color of mountains peculiar to them, they were covered with pine and maple trees which at this season were taking on the great variety of colors seen in the beautiful Indian Summer time. The catbirds were singing their evening songs, the cows were coming home to be milked, the still air was resounding with the music of the hammers and anvil in the roadside blacksmith shop, as all the farmers utensils used in the surrounding country were made in this little shop by the stalwart old blacksmith and son whose particular pride was their skill in fashioning iron and steel into implements for pioneer husbandmen. After the music of the hammers of these Vulcans of the frontier had ceased for a moment, the younger man (our Grandfather William Faubion) only nineteen years of age, remarked to his father, "a train of movers are in sight coming in on the Warm Springs (North Carolina) road.". . . When young William had completed his inspection of the caravan, and returned to his work, his mind was continually occupied with it, for he was particularly attracted to the person of a young woman who was in his estimation the most interesting part of the make-up of the whole cavalcade. After the shop was closed for the day, and the evening meal was over young William with his thoughts still on the young lady, garbed in a clean homespun shirt, and his Sunday-go-to-meeting pants, hied himself away to the movers camp to get acquainted, especially with the young woman who had so appealed tohis fancy. . . .The next morning at the breakfast table, young William announced to his astonished parents that he was going to be married . . ."This morning, and to Miss Perthenia Ayers. . . . .one of the young ladies down at the movers camp. . . .". . . This was indeed a case of love at first sight, and a long happy and very prosperous life was given this young couple. . . under the law his services were the property of his parents. . . .As a concession to the young man and to permit him to make a support for himself and young wife, he was permitted by his father to have all he could make in the shop after the days work was over. . . But the strangest and most pathetic part is, the parents, brothers and sisters of the young woman so peculiarly married, hitched up their teams and went on their way. . .She never saw any of them again, nether did she hear of them again during her long life. From Faubion and Allied Families,Page 270 & 271 The division of the Estate of William's father, after his death, is unknown, but the legends would indicate that William continued in his father's trade, enlarging the business, and employing a number of men. It has been written that he built the first mill on the French Broad river, known as the Faubion Mill, and also built the first bridge across that river, just above where Bridgeport now stands. Whether or not they were the 'first' may be questioned; the fact that he built them is not. In an article written for the Newport (Tennessee) Plain Talk by grandson James Henry Faubion, used by Pangle in 1922, Ruth Webb O'Dell in 1950, and by Wilma Dykeman in 1955, it is said William built a flatboat in the early 1800s, rigged it with a paddle wheel on the rear end, took along a blind horse which could serve as a sort of land-locked tug when the boat was in shallow water or other difficulty, loaded the boat with flour, bacon, dried fruit, feathers and other farm goods, and took it down the French Broad to the Tennessee river, up the Tennessee to the Ohio, then to the Mississippi, and down the Mississippi to New Orleans where he and his crew sold the boat as well as the cargo and made their way home by land. Recalling stories heard during his childhood, James Henry also related that William had a country store on the Warm Springs road south of Parrotsville, furnished by goods he purchased in Baltimore, Charleston, and Augusta (Georgia), hauled in from those places in his own wagons. In 1839 William had been engaged in work for the Government in connection with the removal of the Indians from that section of the country. He was away from home for a period of nine months, and, exposed to the hazards of wilderness life, contracted typhoid fever from which he died after an illness of only a few weeks. After William's death, Rosannah Perthenia lived with her son Tilghman and his family until her death in 1851. William died without a Will, and on petition of the heirs in Chancery Court of Jefferson County, Tennessee, Dower was assigned and allotted to Rosannah, the widow, equal to one-third of the real estate, and partition was made among the children and legal heirs-at-law: Moses, Jacob, John, Spencer, Henry and Mathias Faubion; Philip Icenhour, husband of Elizabeth Faubion; and Hamilton Yett, the husband of Sarah Ann Faubion. Real estate in the amount of 3,157 acres on the north side of, and on the waters of the French Broad river, encompassing at least a part of Neddies' mountain, valued at over $18,000, was given into the hands of commissioners appointed by the Court to set aside Dower rights and to make partition of the same among the children and heirs at law. After setting aside the Dower rights, the commissioners apparently divided the property into allotments and those heirs who had not already been "advanced" property by Deed of Conveyance or noncupative Will drew for their portion. Rosannah's dower of 300 acres with the erections and improvements thereon lay on the waters of the French Broad and on both sides of the public road leading from Newport to the Warm Springs. Phillip Isenhour, husband of Elizabeth, received land with one corner near the top of Neddy's Mountain and one corner on the banks of the French Broad river below what is called Neddy's Fall, down the meandors of the river (about one & three-fourth miles), then back to the beginning. Mathias Faubion also received land lying on the French Broad river below the Faubion Mills, but including a set of mills and cotton gins as well. The other heirs received land equal in value to the river lands with the mills, gins, and other erections.